Vignettes As Historical Artifacts of Russia's Ethnic Diaspora

176 Pages·2015·22.57 MB·English

Constantinople, 1922. Typical White Russian emigre family and friends, whose descendants now live in
the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, and France.
Vignettes As Historical Artifacts of Russia's Ethnic Diaspora
A bloody Civil War began in Russia soon after the 1917 Revolution. When the dust settled, as
many as two million Russians opposed to the Bolshevik regime found themselves living abroad as
political exiles. This "First Wave" of the Russian emigre community included soldiers, officers, and
Cossacks of the anti-Bolshevik forces, individuals who had lived a reasonably comfortable life
before the Revolution, and intellectuals who disagreed with the Communist ideology.
The "Second Wave" of emigres was a byproduct of World War II and consisted of as many as
50,000 ethnic Russians. Some had been forced by the Germans into slave labor; others were
veterans of the German-based anti-Soviet Russian Liberation Army who had managed to evade
forced repatriation, and refugees who did not wish to return to the USSR. In the 1950s many of
them, along with members of the First Wave, emigrated to the United States.
The political nature of their separation from the homeland provided both Waves with a
common passion to preserve their Russian culture, language, literature, and the Christian Orthodox
faith, in an unwavering belief that the Communist regime would collapse and they, or their
children, could one day return home. For that reason, large Russian communities abroad generally
avoided assimilation and formed Russo-centric political and youth organizations, church parishes,
theater and literary groups, social clubs, and charitable societies, some of which continue today.
But the era of the large original old emigre community has passed. A rich legacy of political
and literary writing remains; however, there are few other mementos to remind us of the ethnic
Russian emigres' enduring national and cultural struggle against Communism. The vignettes
shown in this collection are some of those rare mementos. The collection you are about to view is
the story of a people who were ejected from their homeland, but carried it in their hearts. It is
organized in three chapters--from the 1920s through the 1930s, the immediate post-World War II
years, and the late 1950s through the 1980s. It concludes with a few recent issues. Within the time
periods, the vignettes have been divided by their place of origin. Specific information about the
vignettes in the collection is provided in italics while the historical background is in regular type.
Preface: Lead-up to Exile
Armed opposition to the Communists, who usurped power in Russia in October of 1917,
began almost immediately after the Soviet coup d'etat against the Provisional Government. By
January of 1918 the staunchly anti-Communist General Kornilov was in command of a like
minded volunteer force. A bloody Civil War ensued in which the opposition White Army fought
the Communist's Red Army. The White forces held out against the Communists for almost three
years in the European Part of Russian and longer in the Far East. The last enclave of the White
forces in the Far East capitulated in the summer of 1923. Very. few vignettes, issued by
organizations supporting the White cause have survived, since possession of them could lead to
arrest and even execution in Red Russia. But the story of the Russian Diaspora truly begins with
them, since the organizations which produced these ephemeral items soon found themselves in
exile, where they continuing their ideological struggle.
June 15, 1919, probably from Rostov-on-the-Don
The Russian tricolor flag was the distinguishing national symbol of the Russian Diaspora
throughout the decades of Soviet rule.
Simferopol, Crimea, 1919. Denominated in inflationary Civil War period rubles.
The three charity vignettes above were issued in areas held by the anti-Communist
forces to help the Russian White Cross organization provide care to wounded White Army
troops. The White Cross organization seems to have combined medical aid to the wounded with
other charitable work and a nationalist Russian political agenda. It has been said that in order
to avoid any possible confusion with Red Communist, they did not wish to be known as the Red
Cross, but in reality the Russian White Cross, which had ties to the Knights of Malta, existed
alongside the Red Cross, was active during World War I and was under the direct tutelage of the
Czar's family.
Chita, Russian Far East, 1918
Russian Scouts, established in 1909, were opposed to Communist ideology and
supported the White Army. For that reason, the card below must have been printed
after the Red Army fled from Chita in August of 1918 having been defeated by Cossack
Chieftain Semenov's forces. The Japanese army soon entered the city to "support"
Semenov and for the next two years Chita was essentially under Japanese control. Thus
this scout card printed on the back of an ordinary 1917 postal card, was produced on
Russian territory, but under Japanese occupation. Russian Scouts in exile played a
major role in preserving the spirit and culture of pre-Communist Russia among Russian
emigre youth throughout the Diaspora and to this day are one of the most active and
successful Russian emigre organizations.
1918 publicity card of the National Russian Scouting Organization's troop in Chita.
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G H A Y T 0 B.
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------ --- ----------- -------- --- -- -- -
Russian Army Camps in Turkey -- 1921 and later
Shenanigans with stamps of the various regional administrations under White Army
control began during the Civil War years in Russia and continued when the White Army
evacuated Crimea and arrived in Constantinople (Istanbul), occupied at that time by French
and British troops. Soon after their arrival in November 1920, the Russian military units and
refugees, numbering in excess of 100,000, were dispatched to various locations and camps,
including Gallipoli, Constantinople, Lemnos, Khalki, Principo, Tuzla, Chataldja, Proti, Lann,
Selimne, Buyk Dere, Terapia, and others. An enterprising individual among the emigres, who
had previously produced stamps for the South Russia government during the Civil War years,
seems to have played an important role in convincing the Council of Russian Refugee Aid
Organizations in Istanbul to approve an inter-camp local postal service. Mr. X, as he was
called later in the specialized philatelic literature, then began the production of overprinted
stamps.
It is not known how many overprinted stamps were actually created over the ensuing
years, but their numbers are staggering. The initial excuse, or reason, for producing them-
payment for delivery of correspondence among Russian refugees living in different camps-
was quite weak, since few refugees actually knew where their friends and relatives were
located, and even fewer had any money to spend on correspondence. Still, a very small
number of legitimate uses are presumed to have taken place. That has led major philatelic
catalogs to list the Russian Post stamps. In Scott's they are known as Wrangel Issues. But the
sea of fantasies, "reprints," and outright forgeries that made their way directly into the
philatelic market long after the camps closed justifies the inclusion of these "stamps" in a
"cinderellas" collection as well.
No doubt these were speculative issues, but for Russian refugees they may also have
had a symbolic significance. Here were the old Russian stamps, overprinted with the words
"Russian post", surviving in exile and proclaiming their origin, just like the emigres
themselves.
Chapter One: White Russian Emigres in Europe--The Early Years of Exile
In November 1920, despite a defeat in Russia's Civil War, the anti-Communist White
Army left Crimea, its final bastion in Russia, in an orderly, organized retreat. Intact military
units and individual soldiers, officers, and their families eventually settled in Bulgaria, the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia), Germany, France and other
countries. Remarkably, the Army continued to exist in exile, refining its ideology and
participating in the underground struggle against the Soviets. "Next year--in Russia!" was the
perennial New Year's toast of the emigres. Plans to regroup and retake Russia from the
Soviets were always in the works, and this
early stage of exile was characterized by a ,- .~~.... .. .......
. · ~:---<,·~-~~
burning desire for quick revenge through
ovr1ni1131!.U!ll ·· •
military means. The few vignettes that ·have
survived are witness to the White Russian pytnel llllTl\Y 6P\p11;\Ul~~lM 'o
·.;,
militancy of those years and to the close-knit
Y ,l!.OCTOB.cPEHIE
community of White Army officers and
soldiers throughout the Diaspora.
The first order of business for the new --:
- ",..,: ~ --
refugees from Soviet rule was obtaining . npe.ab.~BY!TeJl/,.,,l" Ce~~-,r~Y'1#.~ &.tr.Pf~~f<A",lL."'.
identity documents that would be recognized ~~-::;f?i;z1/.,«.d&.,,,;z,7,, .. "/"'~·· Jr,~·"""~­
........,, 1,of.0'_.,,, "ft·d.<r.fl..-~'. ....f :.<f_,,,dL. .: .=::.~ ..= .. --c.c:c.::::~=-:::::::. .
by other nations. This was a difficult task, --- --- -----------
especially for those who lost their original
identity papers during the Civil War. Initially,
help was provided by the Russian diplomats who were stationed in embassies, consulates and
missions of the former Russian Empire. The reduced photocopy above is one such document
from the embassy in Istanbul. After the Communist takeover, many of the Russian Foreign
Service officers stayed abroad as political refugees. Because the new Soviet government was
not immediately recognized by other nations, the old diplomats continued to work in their
missions providing identity papers to their fellow Russians. Eventually, a League of Nations
identity card, the Nansen Passport, was created for stateless refugees. By 1942 it was
recognized in 52 countries.
Consular revenue stamp with the Russian Imperial
Eagle blotted out (done after czar Nicholas II abdicated in
March 1917). The cancel shows it to be from the Russian
consulate in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Russian ambassador in Sweden at that time was
Constantine N. Gulkevich. During the Civil War years he was
the official representative of the White Army government.
After the Civil War he became an emigre, participated in the
Nansen Committee work in Geneva, and then became the
League of Nations' representative in Berlin dealing with
Russian emigre affairs.
.
1938 French refugee fee
.
stamps issued to provide the large =···· .. . .
, . . .
numbers of undocumented White ~ .
Russians with identity papers.
Russian White Army Veterans' Organizations, 1920s-1930s
Gallipoli Society
Rare pre-WWII Gallipoli Society vignette from Belgium.
I
In November of 1920, approximately
135 naval vessels evacuated the Russian
White Army units from Crimea to
Constantinople. After negotiations with the
French and British military authorities who
at the end of WWI were in control of the
area, the Russian troops were allowed to
disembark and set up tent cities on the
Marmara Sea coast at Gallipoli and Lemnos.
The Allies allowed the Russian navy to
anchor at Biserta, Tunis. Black crosses
commemorating survival through that harsh
winter were issued in 1921 by the Russian
Command. In the summer of that year a
number of officers stationed in Gallipoli
created the Gallipoli Society, whose purpose
was to help its members maintain contact
after the dissolution of the White Army.
Three years later, ROVS, the Russian All
Military Union, was formed in order to
maintain military cohesion if ever there was
a new call to arms for battle against the
Soviet regime, but also to provide aid to the
wounded Russian veterans and to advocate
for veterans' causes. The Gallipoli Society
joined ROVS, but maintained its own
chapters in Belgium, France, the USA, South
America and other locations where fate
1960s charity Easter greeting card scattered the White Army troops.
issued by the USA Gallipoli society chapter in
New York to aid veterans in a nursing home.
It shows the three black crosses for military
camps at Gallipoli, Lemnos, and Biserta.
Russian White Army Wounded Veterans' Organizations, 1920's -- 30's
Many White Army veterans living in exile fell on hard times. Being stateless, generally
lacking a good profession, and having poor command of the local language made survival a
challenge, especially for the wounded veterans. They and their supporters formed charitable
societies throughout the Russian Diaspora. There was communication between the various
organizations and a feeling of commonality, and there existed a single organization, the Union
of Russian Invalids, that they all belonged to. However the local organizations were responsible
for their own activities and collection of donations.
Serbia
These three charity vignettes printed by Samoylov were intended to raise funds for the
Russian Invalids Home of the Martyred Czar Nicholas II in Belgrade.
China
A design quite similar
to the ones above was used for
this vignette. Its inscription
says: "Foreign Funds for the
Russian Invalids in the Far
East." The denomination if
~,
French currency may indicate
I
that the stamp was circulated
nOLITOI
in the French concession of
Shanghai, where many White
Russians settled.
I ·-·--··-···-··---··-·····.- -··-....
This postcard was issued in the early 1930s by the Union of Military Invalids in Harbin,
Manchukuo, the Japanese puppet state in Manchuria.
Bulgaria -- 1920s(?)
It should be pointed out that once the White Army disbanded in 1922, its veterans--those
who did not join the military of other countries, such as the French Foreign Legion--officially
became civilian refugees, even though they still had their own veterans' organizations like ROVS.
Care for those who were in need became the task of religious charitable organizations. The
Brotherhood of St. Nicholas, organized in 1921 by bishop Seraphim (Sobolev) at the Russian St.
Nicholas church in Sofia, Bulgaria, provided financial support for its needy parishioners by
conducting charitable collection drives. The blue charity stamp below was sold at 1 Leu and
featured the St. Nicholas church entryway which can be seen in a modern photo below. The large
vignette showing a portrait of czar Alexander II was printed in the 1920s to collect 5 Leu donations
for ROVS's Russia's Salvation Fund, which was used for undercover work against the Soviet regime.
Belgrade, Yugoslavia (?) -- 1926
Among the Russian emigres in Belgrade was
a well-to-do gentleman, Dimitri Sirotkin, an Old
Believer who owned a small shipping business. In
1926 he printed a series of labels parodying actual
Soviet stamps. Somehow he managed to
clandestinely send the whole issue into Russia
under the guise of genuine collectible stamps from a
fictional Moscow Philatelic firm. This may be one of
those vignettes. It shows two figures astride a horse
-a skeleton with a scythe, dressed in the hat and coat
of a Red Army soldier, and possibly Leon Trotsky,
one of the hated leaders of the Communist
Revolution (detail at left). Presumably they are
riding off to hell. The blue vignette parodies the red
stamp from an actual 1925 USSR set commemorating
the 20th anniversary of the 1905 revolution. Sirotkin
refused to sell any of his parodies to collectors in
Belgrade, and as a result almost none of his stamps
survived.
Bulgaria 1923 - 31
Bulgaria was a very hospitable host country
for the exiled Russian community. The
Bulgarians remembered the decisive military
Ko 90-ntritO Ocao&oAMTeJt•Hoii aoliHi.1. support that they received from Russia during
their War of Liberation from the Ottoman
Empire in the 1870's. For them, the White
Ka.Ko cnpHKM roaopsin., Russians were "bratushki" - brothers, fellow
ys;uoKaHH1>1iil eo111Hi. M&T&Jlbio Orthodox Slavs who helped them in their time
ApMil4 PY~CKOH COllAaT'\. of need.
l
The 1923 vignettes commemorating the 45th
anniversary of Bulgarian independence are
inscribed in Bulgarian, but were produced by
Russian emigres. They mention Russia soldiers,
shows the Russian military Order of St. George,
and reproduces a famous triptych painting by
Russian artist Vereshchagin "All Quiet on
Shipka Pass" which depicts a Russian guard in
Bulgaria freezing to death but not abandoning
his post in the War of Liberation. The same
painting was reproduced on the Russian
emigre postcard printed in New York in
1967.
A 1931 lottery ticket
issued by the Union of
Russian Invalids in
Bulgaria to collect
funds for the
construction of a Home
for Russian Invalids. It
is inscribed mostly in
Bulgarian but depicts
the Russian imperial
eagle and the officer's
Order of St. George.
The Brotherhood of Russian Truth (BRP), 1921-early 1930s-- Europe
The BRP was a Russian patriotic organization established in 1921 by Cossack chieftain
Krasnov, Prince Liven, the writer Amfiteatrov, and other members of the White Movement, for
the purpose of overthrowing Bolshevism in Soviet Russia. The main method of struggle for the
brotherhood was the establishment of an underground terrorist network of counter
revolutionaries within Soviet Russia. They found some support in Belarus, the Caucuses, and
Russia's Far East. The brotherhood sent its operatives to cross the Soviet border clandestinely
but with little success, since Baron Kolberg, one of the BRP leaders within the secret "Inner
Line," turned out to be a Soviet informer. After about ten years of attempts at sabotage and raids,
the organization was dissolved.
These rare BRP vignettes include the organization's insignia: a Russian Orthodox cross
superposed over the Russian tricolor flag and the acronym BRP, a cross with the words "Lord, save
Russia!" and the slogan "Communism will die, Russia will not die"; the iconic monument to Minin
and Pozharsky, a symbol of Russian salvation, with the words ''All for Russia"; and portraits of early
leaders of the Russian Diaspora--General Wrangel (blue and carmine) and Grand Prince Nikolai
Romanov (magenta).